LinkedIn QR Codes

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Sharing contact information has always been an awkward dance. 

Finally, there seems to be a solution and it’s a fascinating case study of product innovation and social change that has implications for how we network. 

I’m talking about the growing adoption of the LinkedIn QR code. 

At fintech events in New York these days, virtually everyone exchanges info scanning a LinkedIn QR code.

This was not nearly so widespread a short time ago even though the technology has been around for years. 

I’m assuming it’s being driven by the post-Covid combination of a resurgence of in-person events and the rising familiarity with QR codes from restaurants. 

It’s already altering how people interact. 

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, open your LinkedIn feed. Click into the search bar and then the icon on the right to display a personal QR code. That can be scanned with a phone.

It is a completely different experience than exchanging an email. 

That’s because it doesn’t end a conversation, it extends it.

You notice you have 42 mutual connections and you both went to Skidmore or worked at Goldman or like kayaking. 

It increases your surface area and ability to connect. 

Watching someone read your profile reminds you LinkedIn is your CV. 

It’s no longer a job board or content site, though it has those features. 

It’s an identity verification platform, the modern White Pages. 

People no longer Google you. They look you up on LinkedIn to confirm you exist. 

There are implications:

-Having a profile is now table stakes 

-Your photo needs to be polished

-Career and school details need to be up-to-date

-Posting content is how you stand out 

When you connect first on LinkedIn, your initial follow-up communication will by necessity start there. So that’s another touch point you need to monitor. 

It is true that creatives tend to use Instagram and gamers prefer Discord. 

But unlike those platforms, most LinkedIn profiles are publicly visible and connected to your real name.

That limits people from hallucinating accomplishments. It also explains why more and more people ask for your social media profile to engage.

You need a LinkedIn profile, for example, to register for the tech parties thrown by former Google product lead Andrew Yeung.

I met a software engineer at an event who said she won’t go on a date with a man who doesn’t have a LinkedIn profile. That’s her background check.

That kind of FOMO is hard to ignore.

BRIEF OBSERVATIONS

You Are Who the Internet Says: A good experiment is to ask Generative AI who you are. ChatGPT version 3.5 had never heard of me. The newer version, however, has a short and largely accurate definition of my current life and business. For why this matters, I refer you back to the essay above.

Self-Review Season: Just like Xmas, self-review season on social media seems to start earlier every year. I am now seeing posts from people I know like Jeremy Baksht and others I know of, like Dickie Bush, reviewing their progress and goals. I enjoy following them all. I’m a fan!

America is the Biggest Oil Producer: I didn’t know that America produces 50% more oil than Saudi Arabia either! The Internet is awesome.

Internet Memes: No one trolls LinkedIn better than Trung Phan, who was the originator of the narrative that “LinkedIn is Cringe!” Follow him!

Pancakes: Some readers inquired about the correct way to eat pancakes, according to my father. You start by buttering the stack, including in between each pancake. Taking a knife and fork, you make four cuts vertically before rotating the plate 90% and then make four more cuts. Only when the flapjacks have been cut into bite-sized pieces, do you drizzle maple syrup over the top. That way the syrup gets into the nooks and crannies. The cutting is done before the eating. You do not “cut” the pancakes with a fork. You are welcome!